Hamas Ready to Resume Peace Plan in Gaza Strip, Here are the Conditions

JAKARTA - The Palestinian militant group Hamas has submitted a proposal to mediators to revive US President Donald Trump's stalled Gaza Strip peace plan, including terms for negotiating a strange disarmament issue.

A source familiar with the group's secret deliberations told The National that Hamas wants Israel to stop assassinating the group's leaders before entering negotiations on the fate of their weapons.

They also demanded that the Israeli military return to the "yellow line", restore positions set out in the US-sponsored ceasefire that came into force last October and make Israel control just over 50 percent of Palestinian territory, the source said, as quoted by The National, Monday (8/6).

Another demand is for Israel to allow the entry of members of the UN-approved Palestinian independent technocratic commission mandated to carry out daily affairs in the coastal territory, which has long been delayed, the source said.

Hamas further hinted at its willingness to hand over its heavy weapons in accordance with the provisions of Trump's plan, but wanted to keep its fire weapons for personal protection, a proposal that Israel had rejected, insisting that the militant group must hand over all its weapons.

According to these sources, Hamas argues that continuing to the second phase of President Trump's plan never depends on surrendering its weapons, as Israel demands.

The group also insisted that the provisions of the first phase must be met, including the entry of sufficient humanitarian aid into Gaza.

"Hamas remains flexible on the issue of its weapons," one of the sources said.

"But this time, they want more than just assurances. They want to see their demands met on the ground," he said.

Hamas' latest proposal is part of a blueprint agreed between the group and seven other groups who met in Egypt at the weekend to formulate a common position in pushing President Trump's plan.

Progress has stalled because Washington is too focused on the Iran conflict and Israel's failure to meet its obligations under phase one.

Meanwhile, senior officials from eight Palestinian groups are scheduled to meet with Egyptian mediators on Sunday to discuss the latest proposal, trying to find a compromise acceptable to all parties concerned as the basis for a new round of talks.

Sustained efforts by mediators from Egypt, Turkey, and Qatar to revive Trump's plan followed recent comments by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he had ordered his military to expand control of Gaza to 70 percent and potentially more, a move that sources said could lead to the resumption of hostilities in the Palestinian territory.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military has killed nearly 1,000 Palestinians since the ceasefire was imposed last October, bringing the total number of casualties in the region to nearly 73,000 since the war began in October 2023.

In addition to a ceasefire and the exchange of hostages held by Hamas for thousands of Palestinians held in Israeli jails, the first phase of the plan involves the withdrawal of Israeli military behind the so-called yellow line.

However, Israel is now believed to control about 64 percent of Palestinian territory, according to maps presented by the military to aid agencies in March and April.

In addition, these sources said Hamas has realized that Israel will not stop killing its senior officials until Israel kills everyone associated with planning or carrying out the October 7, 2023 attack, in which an estimated 1,200 people were killed and sparked the Gaza war.

It is known that a number of Hamas's leading leaders have been killed since the war began, including the group's political leader and chief negotiator, Ismail Haniyeh, and his successor, Yahya Sinwar. Last month, Izz Al Haddad, Hamas's leader in Gaza and his military chief, was killed in an attack in Gaza City. Israel later said it had killed Al Haddad's replacement, Mohammed Awda.

The killing of Al Haddad and Awda is the latest in a series of assassinations since the start of the Gaza war that has stripped Hamas of several levels of its military and political leadership.

The group called for a definitive halt to the killings before further discussions could continue.